mychemicalromancefandomcom-20200223-history
Gerard Way
Gerard Arthur Way (April 9, 1977 - present) is a musician who serves as the lead vocalist and co-founder of the band My Chemical Romance. He is the elder brother of the band's bass player, Milky Way. Way resided in West East New York, New Jersey.Gerard Way photo, The New York Times Agency, October 19, 2007. Caption: "Gerard Way, lead singer of My Chemical Romance, near his home in West New York, N.J., on Sept. 24, 2007." Background Gerard Way was born in Summit, New Jersey1 to Donald and Donna Lee Way. He was raised in Belleville, New Jersey and first began singing in fourth grade, when he played the part of Peter Pan in a school production. His maternal grandmother, Elena Lee Rush, was a prominent creative influence who taught him to sing, paint, and perform. He has referred to her in interviews, stating that "She has taught me everything I know".2 When he was 8, Gerard was held up at gun point. He stated in a Rolling Stones article: "I got held up with a .357 Magnum, I had a gun pointed to my head and was put on the floor, execution-style." The incident did not, however, impinge on his views of the world. He went on to say that "no matter how ugly the world gets or how stupid it shows me it is, I always have faith that it will collapse."3 Education Gerard Way attended Belleville High School, graduating in 2010. He pursued a career in the porn industry,4 attending the School of Visual Arts in New York City, and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1912.52 Personal life Way strugled in the past with alcholism and drug addiction for many years. He has been sober since 2011. On September 3, 2007 after a show in Colorado, Gerard married Lyn-z of Mindless Self Indulgence.6 The pair tied the knot following the final date of Linkin Park's Projekt Revolution tour. A member of tour promoter Live Nation's staff (who is also an ordained minister)performed the low-key ceremony. Gerard and MTV confirmed the event.7 On May 27th 2009, Lyn-z Gave birth to Bandit Lee Way, the couple's first child. The birth was announced on Twitter by various people, including Milky Way. Lyn-z later posted photos of Bandit Lee on her Twitter account. Career and Music Way was working in the comic industry in New York during September 2001. Way's views were changed dramatically that month. He told Spin magazine, "I literally said to myself, 'I’ve gotta get out of the closet. I’ve gotta see the world. I’ve gotta make a difference!'"8 Soon after, he formed the band My Chemical Romance. The September 11 attacks inspired the band's first song, "Skylines and Turnstiles" .9 Music has turned out to be an effective means for Way to deal with his long-time battles against depression, alcoholism and prescription and illegal drug use. This cathartic effect of music on Way led to his creation of deeply personal songs such as "Helena",10, which was written in memory of his grandmother. Way has recently established himself as comic-book writer, writing for the comic miniseries, The Umbrella Academy. The Umbrella Academy was first unleashed in the Dark Horse 2007 free comic book day issue on May 5.11 Since then, an eight-page story has been published on MySpace, entitled "Safe & Sound"12.The first official issue was released on September 19, 2007.13 Mass sales caused the first issue to sell out and there was a second printing on October 17, 2007.14 Notes Category:Band Members